SPRING PRACTICE PERIOD: Stories from the Lotus Sutra

Dogen-Zenji so cherished the Lotus Sutra that he actually carved a selection of it into his door. This, the core text of not only Zen but the whole of Mahayana Buddhism, has never lost its appeal among practitioners of the Way. Join us for our SPRING PRACTICE PERIOD: Stories From the Lotus Sutra led by Sensei Joshin Byrnes, Sensei Genzan Quennell

03-25-2015: The Secular Buddha: What it Means to be Radicalized

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Episode Description: In this public talk, Stephen renders his Buddhist biography as a series of radicalizations. In the first radicalization, as a Gelugpa monk, he tried to transport himself wholesale into Tibetan Buddhism’s internally-consistent system. Next, in a distinct shift of emphasis, he practiced for four years in a Korean Seon/Zen hall with the exclusive question, what is this? — absorbing the lesson that at the vibrant root of all experience, we fundamentally don’t know what’s going on. Most recently the Buddha’s radical “secularism” in early Buddhist texts has deeply shaped his thinking. Here Stephen means “secular” especially in its original sense: “of this age,” of this world. For indeed, he asks, when the needs of this life and this planet impinge so vividly, so indubitably upon us — might sinking our energies into speculations about other realms and future lives border on the immoral?

Bio: Stephen Batchelor is a contemporary Buddhist teacher and writer, best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism. Stephen considers Buddhism to be a constantly evolving culture of awakening rather than a religious system based on immutable dogmas and beliefs. Through his writings, translations and teaching, Stephen engages in a critical exploration of Buddhism’s role in the modern world, which has earned him both condemnation as a heretic and praise as a reformer. Stephen spent his young adult life ordained as a Buddhist Monk, first in the Tibetan tradition, and later in Korean Zen. He has been the co-ordinator of the Sharpham Trust and since 1990 has been a guiding teacher at Gaia House Meditation Center. Stephen is the translator and author of various books and articles on Buddhism including the bestselling Buddhism Without Beliefs and Living with the Devil: A Meditation on Good and Evil . His most recent publication is Confession of a Buddhist Atheist.